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Malmo v Kalmar
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Kick Off: Friday 24th May at 18:00
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Competition: Swedish Allsvenskan
Table-toppers Malmo host Allsvenskan strugglers Kalmar on Friday night as the Blues go in search of a fifth consecutive home league win to aid their title challenge.
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Malmo have made a strong start to the campaign, winning eight of their ten matches so far, as the Blues try and retain their league title victory from last season. The Swedish champions have won three of the previous Allsvenskan titles and are heavy favourites to see off their Friday night opponents.
Kalmar, on the other hand, have failed to back up the pedigree that has led them to three consecutive top-half finishes in recent years. Six defeats in ten matches see Kalmar in the relegation zone as it stands, as they’ve conceded 19 goals along the way.
Malmo v Kalmar Best Bets
While the head-to-head record between these two teams suggests a low-scoring affair, this season’s form points to a different outcome entirely.
Malmö has been dominant and free-scoring for the most part, with only one of their last five games containing less than three goals, against the rugged newcomer GAIS. Kalmar, conversely, as touched upon earlier, are conceding aplenty and look unlikely to be able to withstand the home side’s heavy pressure.
Malmö have created a total of 27 big chances to date, with Kalmar’s figure sitting at 16, and we can expect a few more to accumulate in this match, especially if the defensive mistakes continue for Kalmar. To make things worse, the hugely important Simon Skrabb is absent from this game due to a suspension from an accumulation of yellows.
Malmö are also missing some personnel through long-term injuries, such as Stefano Vecchia, Niklas Moisander and Oscar Lewicki, but they have more than enough strength in depth to plug those holes, having done so without any drop in performance to date.
In addition, Oliver Berg is back in full training and could be in contention for a squad inclusion. Malmö’s quality should prove much too difficult to handle in the end for the leaky Kalmar defence here.
Consider backing Malmö to win and over 1.5 goals at 1.30 or if you’re after a bigger price, Malmö -1 handicap at 1.62.
📂 Malmo v Kalmar Cheat Sheet
*Cheat Sheet pending…
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⚔️ Malmo v Kalmar Head-to-Head
When the two teams last met, at Eleda Stadion in Kalmar on 8th October 2023, Kalmar emerged victorious, with the only goal of the game being scored by Simon Skrabb in the 95th minute.
The surprise win was deserved in a closely fought encounter during a period when eventual champions Malmö were in a battle for the title with Elfsborg.
Quite surprisingly, when these two have gone up against each other, the game has finished with a 1-0 scoreline on the last six occasions, with Malmö FF winning four of those encounters.
Both teams have otherwise been high-scoring in recent years, Malmö as a dominant domestic force and Kalmar challenging for European qualification while playing hugely exciting football.
Henrik Rydström returns to the club where he made his name both as a player and coach, however, his credentials are now much bigger than that, looking to create a dynasty with MFF.
📊 Malmo Form and Stats
Last year’s champions started the 2024 season in similar fashion to last year’s campaign, going on a six-game winning run to dominantly top the table.
This was swiftly followed by winning the Swedish Cup over Djurgårdens on penalties after an even 1-1 encounter on 1st May.
Since then, their form has taken a bit of a downturn, losing their first game of the season against Elfsborg and dropping further points to Häcken last weekend. Häcken thoroughly deserved their late equaliser, a 93rd-minute penalty by captain Simon Gustafson.
While the trajectory and trends for Malmö are somewhat concerning, their football is still scintillating, and they possess by far the best squad in the league with plenty of strength in depth.
They have, for the most part, been dominant in the league to date, scoring 2.5 goals per match to the tune of 1.91 xG per 90 minutes, while only conceding 0.6 goals per game.
Having said that, Djurgårdens are hot on their heels, winning their last five to make it a three-point gap between first and second in Allsvenskan, meaning Malmö cannot lose their pace.
📊 Kalmar Form and Stats
Kalmar kicked off the campaign in close to disastrous fashion, losing five of the first six matches, only bagging a win over the inconsistent Elfsborg. Since then, the performances have improved somewhat, picking up two wins and a draw in the last four.
They have, however, only amassed ten points in ten matches to date and are positioned in the bottom three, one point away from safety.
With the squad changing quite substantially in the off-season, some teething issues were to be expected. They seem to have now settled on a defensive shape of three at the back and three upfront, with that attacking trio of Jonathan Ring, Dino Islamovic and Jacob Trenskow being very dynamic and unpredictable.
Last season’s standout player Simon Skrabb is also finding his feet again in a slightly deeper midfield position, bagging three goals in the last four matches. Kalmar’s main issues have been defensive, conceding the third-most goals in the league with 19.
This is largely due to struggling with build-up, giving the ball away in dangerous positions, and being too open centrally for breakthroughs into the box. This has led to allowing the most xG in the division at 1.83 per game.
In addition, their attack has lacked some weight, but with Dino Islamovic now fully up to speed, they are looking increasingly dangerous.
* I recommend waiting for confirmed team line-ups before placing any bets.
* All odds displayed correct at the time of publishing.
Written by an Andy verified content writer
18+ please gamble responsibly.
